The ‘Will it Blend’ Guy Puts New iPhone 3G in the Blender

This gives a new meaning to ‘Apple sauce’. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this guy’s other ‘Will it Blend’ videos, but he basically takes stuff like tin cans full of pork and beans (like, the entire can) and sticks it in his blender to see if it will work. It’s all part of a viral marketing campaign for Blendtec, and I must say, the blender is obviously pretty powerful. Watch the video below:

So, Mr. Will it Blend, Tom Dickson, stood in line to get a brand new iPhone 3G and dropped that baby in his blender to see what would happen. It was completely obliterated, and when Tom peeled the lid off the blender, a nasty puff of smoke and tiny particles of who knows what wafted in front of his nose. Let’s analyze what was in that toxic burst of air that he just inhaled. How much time will that knock off his life?

InfoWorld kindly provided us with a breakdown of some of the nastiest materials in the iPhone:

According to Greenpeace, an independent lab tested 18 internal and external components of the iPhone and confirmed the presence of brominated compounds in half the samples, including in the phone’s antenna. A mixture of toxic phthalate esters was found to make up 1.5 per cent of the plastic (PVC) coating of the headphone cables.

“Two of the phthalate plasticisers found at high levels in the headphone cable are classified as ‘toxic to reproduction, category 2′ because of their long-recognized ability to interfere with sexual development in mammals,” said Dr. David Santillo, senior scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, who coordinated the project and deconstructed the iPhone for analysis. “While they are not prohibited in mobile phones, these phthalates are banned from use in all toys or childcare articles sold in Europe. Apple should eliminate the use of these chemicals from its products range.”

Gross. I hope Tom’s not planning on having any more children. Obviously, most of us are not going to be in a situation where we’ll be inhaling iPhone dust anytime soon, but it still makes you wonder about putting that thing next to your head and mouth every day.

Link [Neatorama] + [InfoWorld]

Another Great Video From Greenpeace: Chemicals Will Smack Down Your Sperm Count

Certain Chemicals can reduce your fertility. Nice work Greenpeace. Check out the video:

What a way to drive home the point. (pun not intended, but very much appreciated).

Leadville, Colorado Fears Billion Gallon Flood of Cancer and Pain

Leadville, Colorado is a scary place to live in these days. It’s a high altitude town- the highest incorporated in the U.S. at over 10,000 feet- contaminated by decades of mining the slopes above and around. It was at one time the largest silver mine in the world and over the decades has been host to soldiers from the nearby Army base, famous writers and celebrities, and even gunslinger Doc Holiday.

Today it’s filled with a people fearful of the billion gallons of polluted water plugged up in a tunnel overlooking town that’s threatening to pop. If it blows the entire town will be awash in a watery stew of deadly chemicals, lead, mercury, and other heavy metals. Leadville’s 2,700 residents could find themselves knee deep in cancer and death.

Groovy Green says not to worry though, officials are all over this one:

Peter Soeth, a spokesman for the Bureau of Reclamation, which acquired the drainage tunnel in 1959, said there was no immediate threat to Leadville’s 2,700 residents.

Officials point out that a speaker system to broadcast evacuation notices has already been installed near a mobile home park that has 300 residents near the tunnel’s portal.

I’d feel so safe if I knew that and lived in Leadville. A speaker system. They have a speaker system. Great F.S.M.

Link [MSNBC] via Groovy Green

Greenify Your Sexy Time Toy Collection by Getting Off Chemicals

Victoria E has a good post up highlighting the dangers of cheap plastic sex toys. For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster people, spend some money on nice eco-friendly vibrators and whatnots. Good Vibrations, Babeland, and Good Clean Love are excellent places to start.

Here’s a snip, head over and read Victoria’s whole post.

Whether adventurous or mildly amorous, millions of couples use “novelty” items (a.k.a. sex toys). Often purchased on a whim, these bedside buddies can exponentially enhance your sensual encounters but they may also bring their own fair share of damage.

Soft and dangerous
If any of your toys are made from what looks to be a jelly-like substance or have the same smell as your newly purchased shower curtain, there is a very high possibility that they have been made with phthalates. These chemical compounds are used to soften the plastic, making it more flexible, which would seem to be perfect for such an intimate item.

Banned in Europe
Used since the 1920s in not only sex toys, but also perfumes, pesticides, rain coats, hair spray and medical instruments, phthalates have been linked to liver and kidney damage, genital abnormalities, hormone disruption and cancer. In 2005, the European Union banned six types of phthalates in children’s toys due to their dangers.

Link [Victoria E]